132 Report of a founuv Around the World. 



"Of the visitors to this museum the vast majority are unfortu- 

 nately not acquainted with the English language. This 'Guide' 

 will therefore mainly reach the Singapore European resident, the 

 passenger and the Singapore schoolboy. The first with his sca:nty 

 leisure, and the second with his short hours on shore cannot be 

 expected to pay more than a hasty visit to the museum ; but the 

 case is different with the Singapore schoolboy, and it is hoped that 

 the book will be welcome to him and that he will make ample use 

 of it. Of recent years the number of schoolboys who have been 

 going round the galleries notebook in hand, has been steadily in- 

 creasing, and this has always been a pleasing sight. The writer 

 would be fully rewarded for the trouble of compiling the following 

 pages, if this 'Guide' should be their constant companion on their 

 future visits to the museum." 



The situation as to visitors is exactly the same as in our 

 own museum, but there the parallel ends. The Hawaiian fauna 

 is so small and incomplete that no course in zoology could be illus- 

 trated by the native specimens, while the Malay fauna, so far as 

 representative species go is all-embracing. On Hawaii, too, the 

 teachers are supposed (indeed are required) to accompany the 

 pupils. To show how the material in the Singapore museum is 

 disposed for teaching purposes Figs. 107 and 108 are given. The 

 first exhibits a bird of which species are known throughout the 

 Pacific, but our birds nest on rock ledges if possible, while these 

 from Christmas Island have adopted the habit of woodpeckers; 

 they are certainly well arranged as in the best museums. The 

 second shows mainly the skeleton of a whale, and the guide-book 

 describes it in this interesting way: "The museum pos.-esses the 

 skeleton of the Great Indian Fin Whale or Ikan paus {Balcrnoptcra 

 indica) . This whale was left stranded at a place called Sabatu, 

 about 18 miles to the south of Malacca town, on June 19, 1892. 

 A pagar^ was built around it to prevent its getting back at high 

 tide, and the poor beast took a week to die, making a great noise 

 for three days. Its voice was said to have rt-sembled that of a bull. 

 Nothing was done with the blubber, but the Hon'ble D. F. A. 

 Hervey, Resident Councillor of Malacca at that time, caused the 

 skeleton to be prepared and to be conveyed to Singapore. Owing 



'Or stockade. [280] 



